Apart from being a good Colour Correction tool Resolve is really useful for creating "dailies" from RAW camera files such as RED and Alexa. It can createAvid DNxHD mxf's and other file formats useful for offlining.

One of the great things about Resolve is how you can work shadows, midtones and hilights separately. If you work with scopes, particularly the RGB Parade you can see which channels clip or crush first. My typical process is to neutralize the shadows using the RGB offset, then neutralize the hi-lights via the 3-way color wheels, this will get rid of color cast in the hilights without the need for any qualifiers or power windows. I think this workflow is so valuable, I might make a little video for you guys.

First complain: It's good, but still requires a roundtrip. No matter if easy, still is a roundtrip like AE is with PP. And IMO, this is a type of workflow that really needs to disppear, and will disppear.Now that Smoke 2013 is at less than 4.000 bucks (yes they cutted 11.000), it's to date the only high-end software in the industry that really is a game changer in the sense that it's the only all-in-oneapp capable to operate at the highest demanding levels as well as suitable for some indy and small prod-houses.

Actually After Effects does all that and more, with perfect integration with Prelude (On set), Premiere, Audition, Photoshop, and most of the web-based apps. In this regard it has no equal, for any work on this planet. You can even edit with it if you want!

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Second complain: The interface is toyish and the nodes are badly implemented IMO.

Color grading apps are built to interface with hardware systems, similar to audio DAWs. It is a fast way of working proven by the rigors from the days of tape in broadcast.

The algorithms are pretty basic - there's only so much you can do with color.

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Third complain: it's a computer performance eater software. I results to me amazing that I can put an all Nuke 6 app into a old laptop and one of the most advanced compositing application this planet has ever seen works perfectly fine without a crash while Resolves sucks so much power just for a color correction tool. Something's not good the way the engineers have designed the program. It's over complex, sucks too much power for what it really does.

The developers at Nuke are geniuses beyond compare. I don't use Nuke any more, but I find its color grading interface better than any grading app. The only thing better than Nuke is AE.

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I'm very curious to have informations about the Speedgrade integration in Adobe suite. If the tendency is really towards an all-in-one super app like Smoke, I think it's worth to consider. If some of you have info on speedgrade, I'd read it with interest.

I would avoid Speedgrade for now, even though it is as capable as Resolve. The future belongs to Speedgrade, as soon as Adobe integrates it with Bridge, the playback engine and so on. At $50 a month, how can one compete?

In the end, most editing and grading systems are already better than the average person using them. The basic tools are all there, and the only thing they can do is make it faster with wider codec support. Adobe has a huge lead in three areas: After Effects, Photoshop and Flash (which is making a comeback). On the other hand, Autodesk has Flame, but for how long?

An interesting experiment - until last year, I was still using CS3 on an old Core 2 Duo laptop to edit DSLR video in 1080p, with no lags whatsoever. In that respect, CS3 runs much faster than CS6!

Drag. I do love Resolve, it's just the roundtrip that's mildly annoying. It does actually maintain a RAW workflow better than the SpeedGrade route, I believe. As I understand it, when you send a project from Premier to SG, it renders DPX's first. Lame. I talked to the guys at Assimilate about Scratch, which is also all in one. They admitted though, that their package is not as strong an NLE as Premier nor as good at grading as Resolve.

It's Dale Grahn's tool for training (color timer). Search who is Dale Grahn and you'll see that we are talking about one of the superartist with nothing less than impressive curriculum in the cine industry. The very interesting thing is that it's about matching what he did from the raw footage but with just one limited CC tool. No mask, no curves, no wheels, no 3D track, no scopes, no blending modes but extremely limited tools. And, oh yeah, very important: no sliders.No marketing brand nor magic property softwares. No excuses.

The app costs 4 bucks for the ipad and there are included 20 video tutos from the Master. Greatly done Mister Grahn !

I find this exercice extremely valuable for people who are digging into CC as well as a kick in the ass for the "need" high-end apps; and in fact for all of us because it reminds that we can do a lot with very little.

Just to say after some months - Resolve is becoming my absolute tool for grading.

Im not roundtripping just doing it once the edit is 'locked'

The more tools I understand the better and faster it gets.

For example a 'red face' man in interview, so simple to track his face with a colour correction.

Here is my latest job in Portugal - not a heavy grade but just some tickling - the shot I like is the strawberries - my feeling is if you can get it to look right getting a wrong/artistic look on top is simple

I've been learning Resolve for the past few weeks. Chris and I have ordered two 4K Blackmagic Production cameras and two BM Pocket Cinema camera, and so CinemaDNG importing and grading are in our future.

I've developed a workflow that uses Lightroom, Camera Raw or Capture One 7.1.3 for importing, dematrixing and grading CinemaDNG footage, but it'll be worth learning Resolve because when V10 comes out later this you it will also contain a comprehensive editing capability.

I've been learning Resolve for the past few weeks. Chris and I have ordered two 4K Blackmagic Production cameras and two BM Pocket Cinema camera, and so CinemaDNG importing and grading are in our future.

I've developed a workflow that uses Lightroom, Camera Raw or Capture One 7.1.3 for importing, dematrixing and grading CinemaDNG footage, but it'll be worth learning Resolve because when V10 comes out later this you it will also contain a comprehensive editing capability.

Michael

We sometimes use resolve as it works with the RED Rocket card. I find it good, of course it's industry standard, but it's also has it's quirks and even with the Rocket, it uses a lot of computer power.

We have a lot of workflows as we mix footage with the REDs and the GH3's, might add a small blackmagic later, if it works as advertised, (I usually give this stuff a while for the makers to work the bugs out).

But Michael, since you and Chris are working in fcpx, I'd look at baselight.

The full stand alone system is expensive (coolest board I've ever seen though), but they have a plug in for fcp7 and fcpX. It works a lot like any color corrector so the learning curve is the same, but the ability to work within the edit is to me a big plus.

Regardless of our workflow, I've found I've never done CC either before hand, or round trip where I haven't at the final lock of the edit had to gone into Apple's (fcp7) 3 way color corrector and do some final fine tunes.

Actually, (yes I know it's a dead end system) I still think Apple color is the best I've ever used in regards to functionality, ease of learning and since it was free, it was a good deal. The only issue is with some machines it's buggy.

A little off topic but I just bought a new 3.2 ghx Imac. Thought I'd only use it for stills but dropped fcp7 in it and the speed upgrade from our 8 and 12 core desktops was amazing. 10 to twice the speed depending on functions.

Anyway, I'd look at baselight, that goes into the nle. For fcp x it might save you a lot of time.

IMO

BC

Hey nice work Sam. Did you use a housing for the fs700 for the above to underwater image?